Minnesota Hockey Journal

February 2016

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How to SHoot tHe wrong way You skate in front of the oppo- nent's net and you are all alone with the puck. You can stop and think about the best form to shoot the puck, or you can shoot the best you can, based on the circumstances. By the time you get the shot off, the opposing defensemen might rob you. If an old school hockey coach were to read this article, he'd probably say the shot technique below just doesn't have power and is wrong. If you are look- ing for a way to rebel and make a great, unexpected shot that keeps the opponent guessing, read on! Modern composite hockey sticks, and sticks in general have a lot more flexibility than in the bygone era. Taking advantage of the flexibility of the stick can be a great way to make a power- ful shot. When you are in-stride, load up your weight on your front foot, sliding your lower hand halfway down the shaft of your stick. Shift your weight over the puck. Put some weight on the stick shaft and drag the blade along the ice. Put a little bend in the shaft, lifting your back leg as you go. (Make sure you don't lose your balance!) Make a strong sweep of the stick and fire the puck, following through with a good snap like you can learn about in this video. Depending on whether or not you score, you might get a high- five from your old-school coach and praise for your technique, or you might get an ear full of advice—so make sure you go five-hole or top corner and score! If you watch hockey pros like Jeremy Roenick, Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin take shots like this in slow motion, you will notice a flex in their stick like a bow about to shoot an arrow. These guys have stick budgets that are higher than yours, however try and take advantage of the flex of the modern stick. Done right, this shot technique can give you a fast way to shoot in stride, with good power, unpredict- able power and great accuracy. Leverage the combined resources of: • Your arm strength and front leg power. • Shifting your weight over the puck. • The flexibility of your stick. • Following through with your shot and snap at the end. Do all of this well, and nobody will fault you for "shooting wrong." Old school coaches are starting to get with the program. If yours isn't, tell them to watch Crosby Kessel play and shoot just like you are. They will probably get off your back about it. HockeySHot extreme PaSSing kit This is a great product to help you work on and improve your shot: hockeyshot.com/Hockey-Passing- Kits-s/193.htm For more than 200 top hockey training aids, visit: hockeyshot.com. TAGLINE GOES HERE MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // FEBRUARY.2016 NEWS + NOTES FROM THE STATE OF HOCKEY 04 PHOTOS: MHJ ARCHIVES; SUBMITTED, GOPHER ATHLETICS & GOALS ASSISTS HOCKEYSHOT.COM TIP OF THE MONTH: FEBRUARY 2016 n o, not the baseball team, but a real, full-time hockey team that played in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League from 1933-1942 and from 1947-48 along with New York, Hershey and Atlantic City. So what does that team have to do with the State of Hockey? As fate would have it, in their second season (1934-35), eight of the 13 players were from Minnesota. Of those eight, seven of them hailed from Eveleth: THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES…ON ICE? ADVERTORIAL Phil LaBatte, Minneapolis Frank Laurich, Eveleth Al Papike, Eveleth Joe Papike, Eveleth Vince Papike, Eveleth John Phillips, Eveleth Andy Toth, Eveleth Frank Ulasich, Eveleth While the team finished under .500 overall, due mainly to a rash of early sea- son injuries and one-goal losses, they were 13-9-2 in non-league action. The latter was highlighted by a 3-2 win over the pro Philadelphia Arrows of the then Canadian-American Hockey League (now American Hockey League), and a three-game series victory over the Atlantic City Seagulls for the Mayor Howard J. Jackson Trophy. Phil LaBatte, a Gopher (as was Andy Toth), went on to play for the 1936 bronze-winning U.S. Olympic Team. Joe Papike played briefly for the Chicago Blackhawks, but had a far more significant minor-pro career with Wichita and Kansas City in the American Hockey Association. Stop in the fan zone just off Gate 4 at Xcel Energy Center and see a reproduction jersey of the team as well as player images. Roger Godin is the Minnesota Wild team curator. ON THE RECORD WITH ROGER

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